Combine machine



W. M. MILLER COMBINE MACHINE Oct. 16, 1951 Filed Jan. 14, 1948 4 Sheets-Sheet l gmc/Mw WMMZ'ZZW vm wn Wm m il AMW, INN ,in .N Vf

W. M. MILLER COMBINE MACHINE Oct. 16, 1951 Filed Jan. 14, 1948 Oct. 16, 1951 W M, MlLLER 2,571,469

COMBINE MACHINE Filed Jan. 14, 1948 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 FVIIIII l n lllll Hlllll RYHIIII l Ik V.\

Hll l f WMMZ'ZZW Oct. 16, 1951 W, M, M|| ER 2,571,469

COMBINE MACHINE Filed Jan. 14, 1948 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Z@ T95 ZZ l WMM'ZZW y MM mw Patented Oct. 16, 1951 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE COMBINE MACHINE William M. Miller, Junction City, Oreg.

Application January 14, 1948, Serial No. 2,231

2 Claims. (Cl. 130-27) This invention relates to a harvester thresher of the type shown in Patent No. 2,123,879, dated July 19, 1938.

In harvesters and threshers or combines, there has been considerablediculty and annoyance by reason of the uneven discharge and piling up of straw close to the threshing cylinder on the threshing or separating rack. This is particularly true where the straw is heavy or the ground is uneven.

The straw piles up because the straw drops down on the spinning cylinder, wrapping around it and thus causing the straw that falls to pile up and to slug the machine. The great difculty it seems, is that when the straw is forced up by the cylinder that it goes above the cylinder and unless there is a means of throwing it back that it will drop down again upon the cylinder and wrap around it causing the cylinder to become slugged and thus stopping the operation. The air forcing in causes the straw to be thrown back and away from the cylinder so that when it drops it does not drop vertically downward but back toward the back side of the housing and to where the rack is located.

It is, therefore, an object of this invention to in a combine, means discharging an air stream over the receiving end of the threshing rack which flows laterally across the rack in the direction of the straw discharged from the -cylinder so as to carry a substantial portion of the straw to the .far side of the rack and in this manner evenly distribute the straw over the rack.

A further object of this invention is to provide a distributing means of this kind which includes a regulating valve whereby the volume of air may be accurately controlled to effect the desired even distribution of the straw over the rack and the elimination of bunching or clogging of the straw at the intake side of the rack hous- To the foregoing objects, and others which may hereinafter more fully appear, the invention consists of the novel construction, combination and arrangement of parts, as will be more specifically referred to and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, but it is to be understood that changes, variations, and modifications may be resorted to which fall within the scope of the invention as claimed.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary vertical section taken longitudinally through the separating or threshing portion of a combine including an attachment constructed according to an embodiment of this invention.

Figure 2 is a horizontal section taken substantially on the line 2-2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on the line 4 4 of Figure 1.

Figure 5 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on the line 5 5 of Figure 4.

Figure 6 is a fragmentary sectional View taken on the line 6-6 of Figure 4.

Figure '7 is a vertical section of the supplemental blower or fan associated with this invention.

Referring to the drawings, the numeral I0 designates generally a housing which encloses a conventional threshing or sifting means, generally designated as I I. The housing I@ is formed on one wall I2 thereof with an opening I3 comprising an intake opening wherein the combined straw and grain are adapted t0 be discharged by means of a rotary cylinder or drum I4.

The constuction hereinbefore described is similar to that shown in Patent No. 2,123,879I supra, and is here shown as one type of combine with which this invention may be combined.

The housing III includes a downwardly and laterally projecting wall I5 which extends upwardly and inwardly from the drum I 4. The drum I4 is adapted to rotate in a counterclockwise direction and forces the material from the conveyor housing I6 into the interior of the housing I0. The screen or separating means II also includes a plurality of longitudinally disposed toothed bars I'I which extend upwardly from the screen bars I8 and which are adapted to provide separate channels I9 within which the straw is adapted to move during the agitation or oscillation of the threshing structure I I.

In threshers or combines as hereinbefore described there is a tendency for the incoming straw and grain to clog up adjacent the intake opening I3 so that the material will not :be scattered over the surface of the threshing means II. In order to provide a means whereby the incoming straw and grain will be more evenly spread over the intake end of the threshing means I have provided a housing 20 which is secured to the outer side of the inclined wall |5.V The wall I is formed with a plurality 0f spaced openings 2| and a valve plate 22 is slidable in guides 23 and is formed with openings 24 which may be moved into complete or partial registry with the openings 2|.

A valve operating lever 25 is pivotally mounted on a pivot 26 and is pivotally connected to a pivot member 2l which is secured to the valve plate 22. One end of the housing 20 is closed by means of a wall 28 and the other end of the housing 20 is connected to a pipe 29 which is extended downwardly as indicated at 30 along the end wall 3| of housing l0. The pipe 30 is connected to a horizontal pipe 32 and the latter is connected to the discharge side of a fan housing 33. The fan housing 33 has rotatable therein blades 34 mounted on a shaft 35 and the shaft 35 has a pulley 3E thereon which is operatively connected by means of a belt 31 to the blower 38 conventionally used with the combine. In this manner the rotation of blower 3B will also provide for operation of the fan embodying the housing 33 and the blades 34.

In the use and operation of this combine the housing |0 may be formed with the air openings 2| and the housing 20 is secured to the outer side of the wall l5. The openings 2| are of such size and number that when the valve plate 22 is in Completely open position with the openings 24 therein registering completely with openings 2| the area of the openings 2| will be equivalent to the full capacity of the fan. The air discharged from housing 20 through the openings 2| will be directed downwardly and inwardly toward the opposite side wall 39 of housing 0 and this air will carry therewith a, substantial amount of straw and grain so that this straw and vgrain will be substantially evenly spaced in the channels 9 between the toothed bars Il. By providing the sliding or adjustable valve plate 22, the spread of the straw and grain on the intake end of the threshing structure can be very accurately regulated so that the straw will be evenly spread irrespective of the character of the grain. This device may be made as an attachment for combines at present in use, particularly of the character embodied in Patent No. 2,123,879,

supra.

I claim:

1. In combination, a thresher having an elongated separator housing formed with a closed from adjacent said closed end within said housing, an elongated intake opening formed in said housing adjacent said closed end and disposed to one side of and above said separating means, a discharge means in communication with said opening, said discharge means having an elongated rotary drum disposed parallel to said opening, for discharging grain and straw therethrough, a plurality of air inlet openings formed in said housing above and rearwardly of said elongated opening and spaced parallel thereto, an air supply duct disposed over said openings and extending lengthwise of said drum, above and adjacent thereto from said closed end and communicating with said inlet openings, and fan means supplying air to said duct adjacent said one end to blow grain and straw discharged into the housing across the separating means.

2. In combination, a thresher having an elongated separator housing in which are mounted longitudinally extending separating means, said housing having a closed end, a discharge drum rotatable at one side of the housing and extending from adjacent said closed end, an elongated opening extending longitudinally and along said one side of the housing and communicating with said drum for discharging grain and straw therethrough onto the separating means, a plurality of openings formed in said separator housing at said one side in spaced parallel relation to said elongated opening, said plurality of openings being disposed above and adjacent said separating means, an air duct extending lengthwise of said drum in communication with said plurality of openings, fan means supplying air to said duct adjacent said closed end of the housing,

and a longitudinally adjustable valve plate disposed over said plurality of openings having spaced apertures for registry therewith.

WILLIAM M. MILLER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 796,117 Dunckelberger Aug. 1, 1905 917,536 McIntire July 11, 1933 2,262,453 Dray Nov. l1, 1941 2,303,200 Dray Nov. 24, 1942 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 116,171 Australia Dec. 3, 1942 

